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$188,000 sought to finish improvements at Tom Triplett Park

Oscar Love enjoys taking his grandchildren to the lake at Tom Triplett Park to fish for bass and bream from the piers.

Steve Bisson

Ibis feed in the lake at Tom Triplett Park. In the background are the pavilion and two piers. One of the improvements wanted is a bridge linking the walking track around the lake.

Steve Bisson

Oscar Love enjoys taking his grandchildren to the lake at Tom Triplett Park to fish for bass and bream from the piers.

Steve Bisson

Ibis feed in the lake at Tom Triplett Park.

Talk to Baxter Frost and he'll tell you that not too long ago, there were rather "sketchy" parts of Tom Triplett Park.

Located just off west U.S. 80, between Garden City and Pooler, the park was little more than a walking path, bike trail and lake.

"The sketchiness has definitely diminished," Frost said on this balmy Wednesday afternoon.

And he should know.

Frost is president and founder of the Savannah Disc Golf Club. He also helped develop the disc golf course at the west Chatham County facility.

He remembers when the first hole was in an open field as you first approached the park.

Now, fresh tennis courts stand there, surrounded by a sweeping driveway that leads to a stately pavilion. The first hole was moved to a wooded area nearby.

Those improvements were part of a $1.4 million expansion project that also included public bathrooms, two piers, a smaller picnic pavilion and a playground.

After the commission meeting today, District 7 County Commissioner Dean Kicklighter hopes to add another feature to the burgeoning recreational facility: an expansion bridge.

"This was something originally planed in the park," Kicklighter said. "The entire park is complete except for the bridge."

But budget costs on the entire project - especially for installing water and sewer lines - were more costly than expected. At the time, a $188,000 bridge wasn't as big a priority as toilets and running water.

"I see it (a bridge) as something nice visually," Kicklighter said. "But I also see it as a safety measure. If you're standing on one side of the lake and see something happen on the other side, it's a long way around."

Kicklighter said a bridge connecting both sides would allow anyone to get back and forth quickly.

He added that with a healthier county budget and a growing contingency fund, it is time for the commission to think about finishing the project.

And Kicklighter won't get any arguments out of Frost.

The disc enthusiast is quick to note that during tournaments, it would be a lot faster for players and spectators alike to be able to cross the lake rather than walk or drive around it.

"It would help people migrate back and forth a lot easier, whether it was for a bike race or a long-distance race or a golf tournament," Frost said.

On this overcast day, a brisk breeze rustles colorful leaves on the forest of trees surrounding the lake.

The water's surface is rippled from the wind. Near a thicket of marsh grass, a handful of ducks call out to each other in agreement, while floating on the crystal blue water.

Oscar Love leans against the rail of one of the wooden piers and enjoys the moment.

Love said he likes to bring his 12-year-old grandson out here to fish.

"There are a lot of ... bass in there," he said. "But they're pretty small."

He figures it won't be long until catfish make their way into the lake as well.

"I'll see quite a few people out here," Love said. "Usually, they're walking."

Love said every improvement the county makes to the park seems to draw more recreation enthusiasts.

"I'd say it's mostly local residents doing a lot of walking, biking, roller-blading and kayaking," said Robert Drewry, the county's director of Public Works and Park Services. "Frisbee golf is very popular out there as well."

Drewry said there is plenty more planned for the park - from two bridges and an amphitheater to multi-purpose fields.